Newsletter No. 43 - June, 1990

TRAILERTRI
The Newsletter for all Farrier Designs
F-27 Wins Major Series in Australia
June 1990 - No. 43
from 15 starters, just hours behind a 43'
racing trimaran, and 5th over the line out of
the total fleet of 90. Only one ‘hot shot’ 60
foot mono still remained ahead out of the 80
monohulls that started 30 minutes earlier.
AQUA TEC was still not finished, and
went on to win the Hamilton Island Race
Week in the Barrier Reef - fast becoming a
premier series in Australia. Congratulations
to Ian and Cathy, and their various crew
members, including Paul Koch from OSTAC,
and Geoff Berg.
Just to round out a very successful
month for the F-27 in Australia, Kurt Ottowa’s
F-27 BAVARIAN FLIER blitzed all the opposition to win the Royal Motor Yacht Club’s
Twilight series on Pittwater, Sydney. Well
done Kurt!
F-27 Factory News
The F-27 AQUA TEC, skippered by
renowned multihull sailors Ian Johnson
and Cathy Hawkins easily won the OTC
1990 Australian Multihull Offshore Championships in a stunning victory.
Since its inception in 1976, the AMOC
series has become the premier event in
Australia, featuring the biggest and fastest
offshore racing multihulls. It is a Grand Prix
style event, and consists of a series of
seven races held in April every two years. It
is run under the IOMR rule, a recognized
measure of design efficiency.
This was the first time a Farrier design
had entered, and being designed primarily
as a roomy cruiser, with luxurious interior,
and one of the smallest boats in the15 boat
fleet, the F-27 was not given much of a
chance against the specialist racing machines. However, a victory in the first race
immediately established it as the boat to
beat. It followed this with 2 more firsts, a
second, and 3 thirds to easily take the
overall championship on corrected time.
Even more surprising was the F-27’s
performance on elapsed time, always finishing in the top third of the fleet. Twice it
finished ahead of the 60' racing catamaran
SHOTOVER, the current record holder for
the epic Brisbane to Gladstone Race.
AQUA TEC then competed in the Brisbane to Gladstone Ocean Race, and even
though again one of the smallest competitors, it finished 4th multihull over the line
Production continues to increase, and
is now at two per week. However, the
backlog of orders continues to grow, and
earliest delivery date available is now February, 1991. If you are planning to take
delivery in Spring 1991, then be advised to
order now. We expect all these delivery
slots to be taken up very soon.
The F-27 is not only one of the most
exciting craft on the market today, but it is
also certainly proving to be one of the best
buys. In a very depressed sailboat industry
(the long established Ericson Yachts is the
latest to close down) Corsair is the notable
exception, and continues to grow at a smart
pace. The demand for new and used F-27s
is very strong, and used boats sell quickly
for near their new price. Why? Because the
F-27 is leading the field in technology and
design. It is fresh, exciting and fun - not just
the same old thing, using the same old
sixties technology, in shapes that in some
cases haven’t changed since the thirties.
A new face at Corsair is Jim Hunt,
former President of Lear Siegler Marine,
O’Day, Cal, and Prindle Catamarans, and a
veteran of 27 years in the sailboat industry.
Once familiar with Corsair’s operations Jim
will take over the general day to day operations from John Walton, leaving John to
spend more hands-on time on marketing
and promotion.
Jim, a 1960 Olympic sailing Gold Medalist, first sailed the F-27 four years ago,
and was impressed by its innovation, comfort, speed, and level sailing - key factors
raised at the recent Sailing Industry Business Seminar at Miami Beach, and moderated by Jim. This seminar virtually endorsed
TRAILERTRI : June 1990, Page 1
all these features of the modern multihull,
yet most there failed to recognize what they
were actually talking about. This won’t last
for long, so expect to see more multihulls in
the future.
Another dealer has joined our ranks, in
the Great Lakes area, and this is:
Great Lakes Corsair Inc.,
341 Southlawn Ave,
East Lansing, MI 48826-4486,
Ph. (517) 371-1414.
And overseas, a distributor has been
appointed for Holland and Germany:
Jan De Boer Catamarans Int.,
Prinsesseweg 36,
2042 NH Zandvoort,
Holland, Ph. 02507-16146,
We have now made up a step by step
checklist for rigging your F-27. This is on a
waterproof laminated sheet, and will help
should you find that rigging is taking longer
than 20 minutes. In most cases you are
probably doing something that you really
don’t have to. Give Corsair a call and we will
send you a copy. This is now being included
with all new boats.
F-27 Sets New Record in
Guadalupe Race
On April 7th, 12 boats set out from
Marina Del Rey (Los Angeles) for a 630
mile combined double and single-handed
race, organized by the Pacific Singlehanded
Sailing Association. The course was simple,
head south 340 miles, leave Guadalupe
Island to port, then finish at Marina Del Rey.
Of the 12 boats entered, 7 were sailed
double-handed, 5 were single-handed. The
entries ranged in size from the F-27 to a 41'
monohull. First to finish, in a new record
time, was Dave Lawson’s F-27 LAELIA
sailed by Dave and Corsair’s Mike Michie in
4 days, 14 hours, 37 minutes and 43 seconds. This broke the old record by almost
12 hours. Next to finish was the monohull
OSPREY (Santa Cruz 40), over 8 hours
later, followed by the single-handed SHOOFLY, a custom 41' monohull, a further 2
hours behind. SHOOFLY was the only finExclusively Recommended by Ian Farrier
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TRAILERTRI : June, 1990, Page 2
isher in the single-handed division, the other
competitors dropping out due to fog and
lack of wind. These included Bob Dixon,
sailing the prototype F-27 SUPERFOX who,
until becoming becalmed in fog in the shipping lanes, was just behind LAELIA, and
leading the single-handed division. Bob had
sailed extremely well, and actually led
LAELIA around Guadalupe Island, but
wisely decided that shipping lanes, no wind,
and fog were too dangerous a combination
in which to persevere single-handed.
Bob will soon be setting sail for Hawaii
in SUPERFOX having entered her in this
year’s single-handed Hawaii race from San
Francisco. Mike Michie and Dave Lawson
are also leaving for Hawaii on LAELIA, just
for the fun of it!
1990 Australian Nationals
by Chris Nelson
The Trailertri-Tramp Nationals this year
were held on beautiful North Stradbroke
Island, near Brisbane, Queensland as part
of the OSTAC National Trailable Multihull
Regatta, and were organized by the Queensland Trailertri Association. Altogether 18
boats contested the series.
‘Straddie’ as the locals call North
Stradbroke Island was a delightful venue
for the regatta, providing a real holiday
atmosphere. The Little Ships Club at Dunwich, the largest town on the island, was our
host for the week and it provided excellent
amenities and great hospitality. All the entrants camped during the week in the adjacent camping ground creating a very sociable atmosphere - it looked like a carnival
had hit town. Actually on the day most
people were arriving for the regatta we felt
maybe a carnival was taking place, with
entertainment being provided by a small
Cessna executing a near perfect forced
landing on a nearby road! Late on Good
Friday (the thirteenth!) afternoon I looked
up to see the aircraft SILENTLY skimming
the tree tops and barely scraping over the
cemetery on the ridge behind us. The pilot
successfully put the plane down on the road
narrowly missing a campervan, but unfortunately one wing tip struck a tree during the
landing roll. The plane slewed to a halt in the
roadside ditch, a write off. Fortunately nobody was injured. Later entertainment during the week was okay, but didn’t quite lived
up to the opening ceremony for sheer spontaneity and spectacle!
Racing for the week was interesting,
unpredictable, varied, and always fun. The
first two races were started in extremely
light conditions and in both cases the wind
eventually settled in from behind to reverse
the legs of the courses. The second and
third races on Tuesday were sailed in quite
heavy conditions with poor visibility which
made the course laying quite a problem
with no power boat able to handle the
conditions available to relocate marks. So
these two races became quite extreme
reaching orientated races with very short
What’s What?
What are Trailertris, Tramps and
Eagles? Trailertris are designs by Ian
Farrier for amateur builders, and include
the Trailertri 18, 680 (22'), 720 (24') and the
Command 10 (33'). For an information
package on these send $5 to Ian Farrier,
P.O. Box 7362, Chula Vista, CA 92012.
The Tramp was the first production
Trailertri, a 19' day sailer/overnight
camper, developed in Australia and now
built there by OSTAC. Information is available from OSTAC or Corsair Marine.The
Eagle was the name of a U.S. version of
the Tramp.
The F-27 has developed from these
designs, and represents the ‘state of the
art’ in trailable multihulls. All use the same
patented Farrier folding system.
works or runs. The passage race on Thursday was an absolute delight with fair breezes
and an interesting, well thought out course.
Friday’s final race was sailed in squally
fresh conditions, but not as heavy as on the
Tuesday.
The open division was won by Kevin
Murray’s Trailertri 680 CHRYSALIS with
Gordon Myer’s 7.5m PEREGRINE second,
and Mike Vincent’s Trailertri 680 third. PEREGRINE also took the line honours trophy.
The surprise was the sparkling performance of the new OSTAC Tramp. After a few
minor problems the boat really shone in the
passage race and race five. It was right up
amongst the bigger Trailertris and if it hadn’t
lost its spinnaker halyard in race five it
would have been second across the line to
PEREGRINE
The Tramp Title went to the OSTAC
Tramp and deservedly so as it was sailed
brilliantly by Geoff Berg and his boys, with
Paul Koch from OSTAC on board for races
four and five. Stan and Sally-Anne
Simankowicz’s Tramp KYSAL II had a tremendous series to take second, with the
Nelson family on TRILOGY taking third.
The Trailertri Title was closely contested and Kevin Murray had a fabulous
series to take CHRYSALIS to the much
prized ‘double’ win. Second place was taken
by Mike Vincent on TRIFECTA with last
year’s winner Ted Kerr and his Trailertri 720
TRANQUILITY third.
The Laid Back division was taken by
the catamaran SIROCCO with Mac Storey’s
CURLEW second.
1991 Australian National Titles
Current plans are for the 1991 Nationals
to be held at Wangi, on Lake Macquarie,
in the last week of September, and to be
hosted by the Trailertri/Tramp Assoc. of
New South Wales. This promises to be
the biggest and best Regatta ever, so
mark it in your diary now. You can’t say
you haven’t had enough warning. For
information contact the secretary, Alan
Murray, Ph. (049) 752 604.
son.
Chartering an F-27
Tim Walker, a San Diego sailor, small
business owner and part time F-27 demonstrator is forming a venture we feel is worth
mentioning. Although he has not finalized
all aspects of the business plan, the main
idea is a charter operation featuring the F27 based in the Sea of Cortez in the winter
and San Diego in the summer.
Tim’s focus in San Diego will be day
and weekend charters and a multihull sailing school (attendance of which will be
required before taking out an F-27). We
think San Diego is well suited for this format
because of it’s growing population, expanding tourist base and sheltered cruising waters. Also, the America’s Cup is right around
the corner!!
As the weather turns cooler in the fall,
Tim plans to gradually move the bulk of the
fleet (3-5 boats) to one or more Mexican
locations for the traditional weekly charters.
Several ports are currently under study
including San Carlos on the mainland,
Loreto in Baja (the Moorings need some
good multihull competition) and La Paz
further south. All locations offer great cruising, fantastic scenery and secluded sailing,
similar to the Carribean 15 years ago. By
late spring, the return trip to San Diego
should be completed, at which time a thorough factory inspection and refit will be
performed in preparation for the next sea-
“Following the seasons” is an age old
concept in the charter trade, and Tim believes it’s application will be greatly simplified due to the mobility of the F-27. His
choice of Chula Vista Marina and the south
San Diego Bay as operational headquarters will allow close contact with us at Corsair Marine. We might even be able to send
some business his way.
Since Tim has not recently been the
beneficiary of a substantial inheritance, he
plans to fund the charter fleet via the ‘pooled’
yacht charter ownership approach. Simply
stated, the program is a partnership arrangement between an F-27 owner and
Tim’s charter company. The F-27 owner
agrees to place his boat under management for a specified period (3-5 years) and
in return receives a percentage of the
‘pooled’ income from all operations, including sailing school. If Tim’s projections are
met, there should be sufficient monthly income to pay each owner’s fixed expenses
(loan payments and insurance) and also
pay a cash surplus to be used as wished. In
addition the typical ‘free use’ arrangements
will be available to owners at any time. At
the conclusion of the contract the owner
can keep his F-27, roll it over to a larger
multi or sell it.
This type of ownership program has
been used successfully by organizations
world wide and there is no reason why it
F-27 Trailer Improvement
For Information on the F-27
U.S.A. - CORSAIR MARINE, INC.
150 Center St., Chula Vista, CA 92011
Ph. (619) 585-3005, Fax (619) 585-3092
JAPAN - GLENSHEE JAPAN LTD.,
Koyama Building, Hamamatsucho,
2-chome 8-4, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105
Ph. (03) 434-2285, Fax (03) 434-2286
ENGLAND - AICILA MARINE LTD.,
11 Purbeck Ave., Hamworthy, Poole,
Dorset BH15 4DN, Ph. (0202) 673-834
AUSTRALIA - OSTAC PTY. LTD.,
25 Akuna Court, Hemmant, Qld. 4174,
Ph. (07) 893-1133, Fax (07) 396-7408
FRANCE - CHANTIER NAVAL DE
LA LANDRIAIS,
35870 Le Minihic Sur Rance,
Ph. 99.88.56.01, Fax 99.88.65.05.
HOLLAND/GERMANY
JAN DE BOER CATAMARANS INT.
Prinsesseweg 36, 2042 NH Zandvoort,
Holland. Ph. 02507-13815 Fax -16146
shouldn’t work with a boat as fun and exciting as the F-27. Over a five year period, it
might even pay the mortgage for you!
For more information, including a computerized cash flow analysis, contact Tim at
1353 Park Hill Lane, Escondido, CA 92925
, Ph. (619) 489-6106. Existing orders are
also encouraged to respond.
F-27 Wins Class in Plymouth
Multihull Grand Prix
Missing Photos
This Trailetri Newsletter was done on
a computer, but before the ability to
scan and insert photos was available.
These were done by hand later, so,
unfortunately, photos are currently
missing from this pdf
John Jones of San Angelo, Texas, has made some worthwhile improvements to
his F-27 trailer to allow ‘drive on’ loading, and which we have now incorporated into the
standard factory supplied trailer. John writes:
Enclosed are some pictures of my F-27 trailer showing the modifications. The
extensions on the aft rollers were made by cutting a 12" keel roller in half and adding
it to the pivot point in the double roller. This gives about 20" of protection and reaches
the bunks on both sides. The front rollers were replaced by 18" keel rollers. These also
reach both bunks. Now I can drive onto the trailer at about 2 knots without the risk of
damaging the boat should it get offline.
The Plymouth (England) Multihull
Grand Prix was held over the traditional
Bank Holiday, May 26, 27 & 28. There were
four classes in all comprising Grand Prix,
Cruiser Class, Micro 26 foot and Strider
Class. Three F-27s sailed in the Cruiser
Class and enjoyed very keen racing.
John Healey arrived fresh with his new
F-27 but was disadvantaged most of the
time , lacking a genoa and occasionally, his
assymetrical kite, until he had successfully
rigged his removable bowsprit. Nevertheless, at times he showed very promising
speed and will no doubt be a considerable
force in the future.
Seven races were sailed in all, mainly
inside Plymouth Sound, but one was sailed
around the large breakwater that protects
this ancient, maritime harbour, and on another occasion, a short offshore race round
Eddystone lighthouse some 15 miles offshore.
F-27s finished 1st, 2nd and 3rd over
the line in all races with the other Cruiser
Multihulls many minutes behind and in the
long race, miles behind!
Rodney Pattisson’s F-27, TRISTAR
OF POOLE, finished first of the F-27s in all
TRAILERTRI : June 1990, Page 3
races save the one round the Eddystone
where he was beaten into 2nd place by
Martin Bosher’s F-27, MISS PIGGY, sporting her very appropriate pink and grey florescent Mylar sails. Kermit’s eyes would have
popped out of his head!
Rodney’s excuse was that he hit a
remote outlying rock shortly after rounding
the Eddystone Light reaching at 12 knots or
so. The daggerboard was fortunately not
cleated down and flew up on impact, incurring only very minor damage to the front
bottom tip. The rudder hit next and with the
downhaul line cleated, the rope broke at the
point it entered the blade, flying up instantly.
Steering the boat under sails only, Rodney
succeeded in scrambling over the stern,
and rigging after several minutes a new line
enabling the rudder blade with its well
chewed up tip to be pulled down once more.
Needless to say, Rodney had cleated the
rudder right down, (contrary to the F-27
Manual instructions!) because he felt there
was not much chance of hitting anything in
Plymouth Sound, and that for racing it was
important to be sure the blade was well and
truly down!
Close inspection of transom, pintles,
stock and centreboard showed no damage
whatsoever, a tribute without doubt to Corsair Marine’s construction techniques.
Not surprisingly, MISS PIGGY, overjoyed at her good fortune, overtook during
the mishap, and then ensued a very exciting spinnaker reach, and then run to the
finishing line inside the Sound. MISS PIGGY
won by a mere 5 seconds.
beaten by a few seconds by just one
monohull. the fully manned 12 metre White
Crusader.
LETTERS
..... from an Owner in Michigan
Dear Ian,
This past summer, Trailertri 720 # 64,
Alberta Rose, successfully completed its
first family cruise since I purchased her
from Tony Peacock in Canada. My wife,
sons (3 & 7 yrs) and I spent a week on Lake
Macatawa by Holland, Michigan. Since the
wind on nearby Lake Michigan was strong
and the waves large we spent several days
just sailing on Lake Macatawa. When a
storm came through we just put the boat on
the trailer, leaving the mast up and went into
town to shop and stay in a hotel. After the
front went through, we sailed south to
Saugatuck and spent a beautiful night anchored where the Saugatuck River empties
into the big lake. With the shallow draft we
find we can almost beach the boat. We no
longer take the dinghy because it is so easy
to wade into shore. The boat always attracts people wherever we sail. This summer we plan to go to Lake Huron and sail in
the Georgian Bay.
Sincerely,
Paul W. Davis, East Lansing, Michigan
Come on, all home builders, how about
some news from you. Just a sentence or
two or three will be great. If we haven’t
heard from you for a while, drop us a line.
Round the Island Race
For the second year running, an F-27,
MISS PIGGY, owned and sailed by Martin
Bosher, won the Multihull Class of the Annual Round the Island (Isle of Wight) Race,
storming round in 6hrs and 24 mins. There
was a total entry of 1565 yachts of all
descriptions.
Prior to the race, great publicity was
given on the planned attempts by the 60
foot trimaran APRICOT and the Formula
40, FULL PELT to beat PARAGON’S existing record of three years standing of 3 hours
and 55 mins, 28 secs. for the 63 mile race,
an average of 16 knots. In the end both
were unsuccessful. APRICOT, despite her
enormous power failed by some 20 minutes
and worse still, FULL PELT showed the
fragility of her construction. Increasing her
rig height as a yearly modification finally
broke her beams and subsequently lost her
rig. She had the ignominy of being towed
back to base with, amongst others, the
Minister of Sport on board.
Conditions were perfect, Force 6 at
times and the two competing F-27s revelled
in them. TRISTAR OF POOLE, sailed by
Richard Roscoe led MISS PIGGY for the
first part of the race only to be overtaken
when her assymetrical kite ripped. MISS
PIGGY won on overall handicap finishing
seventh fastest over the line and being
TRAILERTRI : June, 1990, Page 4
...from an Owner in West. Australia
Dear Ian and Alicia,
I am an avid Tramp owner and sailor
and spend a lot of time here going out on
photographic trips, searching for whales,
Dugongs, Manta rays and Whale sharks to
film and photograph. Some of my underwater footage has been used by the A.B.C
here in Australia and the B.B.C. in the U.K.
I have made a mast ladder that fits on
the front of the mast and allows one to climb
ten feet up the mast to a Crow’s Nest. The
fantastic stability of the Tramp allows one to
do this - there is no other trailer- sailer that
would. From the Crow’s Nest I can spot
wild-life in the water from a great distance.
When running downwind the motion of the
boat is so gentle that it is quite comfortable
for me to be up the mast in 25 knot winds in
10 foot seas on the open ocean.
We sail a lot on the open Indian Ocean.
The boat has really proved itself on several
occasions, including one overnight trip when
we were caught in 30 knots off the Cape- a
notoriously rough stretch of water. I always
have the reefing lines in and can reef in less
than a minute. Unfortunately, the weather
forecasting up here is very unreliable
TRIBEAU is probably the only trailer-sailer
with rod holders in the back hatch, (they do
have plugs.) We frequently catch Spanish
Mackerel up to 18 kgs. on our 8 & 10 kg.
game rods. Sailing adds an extra dimension to the fishing. When we get a strike, we
have to ‘heave-to’ in the traditional sense.
and we have this down to a fine art. Tacking
allows one to leave the jib alone and one is
then blown back towards the fish. The Tramp
is very stable sitting broadside on to wind
and waves.
There are no other multihull trailersailers up here with whom to compare notes.
Perhaps other Trailertri/Tramp owners in
W.A. could contact me.
Sincerely.
Geoff Taylor,
P.O. Box 498, Exmouth, W.A 6707
Wanted: Dexter Clark, 22650 Lorain
Rd, Fairview Park, Ohio 44126 (216) 734
2100 is looking for an unfinished Trailertri
720.
Maine Summer Cruise Popular
There are now 20 multihulls including
13 F-27s participating in John Cleary’s
Maine Cruise in July as announced in the
last Newsletter. We hope to have a full
report in the next issue of Trailertri, of what
looks to be a great event.Take lots of photos and send them in! TRAILERTRI needs
more cruising stories.
John Cleary is now considering organizing something similar to Lake of the
Woods, on Lake Winnipeg next summer.
F-27s to compete in N.O.O.D.
Regatta, at Newport.
At least ten F-27s will sign up for this
years Audi N.O.O.D. Regatta, organized by
SAILING WORLD, and held at Newport,
Rhode Island, August 16-19. This is the
first time a multihull has been invited to
participate in this national series of events.
In addition, the Northeast F-27 Association
is making this the first Annual Northeast
Championship. John Walton from Corsair
Marine will be present, and Corsair will be
donating some extra trophies and prizes.
Spinnakers will not be used while racing to
keep it relaxed and encourage the cruisers.
For more information contact Tony Cabot,
Ph. (617) 423-5705 (W) or 328-4109 (H).
F-27 Now Officially Recognized in Japan
International Multihulls in Japan reports that the National Authority for Japanese Sailing, the Nippon Ocean Racing
Club has now recognized the F-27 as an
official class and eligible for registration to
compete in their race fleets.
The TRAILERTRI Newsletter is compiled and
published by Ian and Alicia Farrier and subscription (air
mail) for 4 issues ( 4 or 8 pages and usually over 1 year)
is US$6, A$10, NZ$12, with all other foreign US$8. Checks
are accepted in all above currencies. Personal advertisements are $10 each. Send to Ian Farrier, P.O. Box 7362,
Chula Vista, CA 92012